Amblypalpus pisoniae Elgoni, Mirza & Alatawi, 2025

Elgoni, Nasreldeen Ahmed, Mirza, Jawwad Hassan & Alatawi, Fahad Jaber, 2025, New record of the genus Amblypalpus Mitrofanov & Strunkova (Acari, Prostigmata, Tenuipalpidae) with description of a new species from Saudi Arabia, Biodiversity Data Journal 13, pp. e 156638-e 156638 : e156638-

Amblypalpus pisoniae Elgoni, Mirza & Alatawi sp. nov.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KSMAAS 24 - Ten-Amb-H ; recordedBy: N. A. Elgoni; individualCount: 1; sex: Female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 3D1A726B-FBAD-5A6D-AA95-30414EBF42DE; Taxon: scientificName: Amblypalpus pisoniae ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Arachnida; order: Prostigmata; family: Tenuipalpidae ; genus: Amblypalpus ; Location: country: Saudi Arabia; stateProvince: Jazan; locality: Ayban ; verbatimCoordinates: 17°16.320'N 43°2.629'E; decimalLatitude: 17.272; decimalLongitude: 43.04382; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: Nasreldeen Ahmed Elgoni; dateIdentified: 2024; Event: samplingProtocol: shaking plant foliage; eventDate: 25/2/2024; habitat: Pisonia spp. ; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: Mites; basisOfRecord: Slide Mounted Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KSMAAS 24 - Ten-Amb-P 1 ; recordedBy: N. A. Elgoni; individualCount: 1; sex: Female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 6B18ACD0-D5E7-5FAF-99AA-48EE8F0D8697; Taxon: scientificName: Amblypalpus pisoniae ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Arachnida; order: Prostigmata; family: Tenuipalpidae ; genus: Amblypalpus ; Location: country: Saudi Arabia; stateProvince: Jazan; locality: Ayban ; verbatimCoordinates: 17°16.320'N 43°2.629'E; decimalLatitude: 17.272; decimalLongitude: 43.04382; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: Nasreldeen Ahmed Elgoni; dateIdentified: 2024; Event: samplingProtocol: shaking plant foliage; eventDate: 25/2/2024; habitat: Pisonia spp. ; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: Mites; basisOfRecord: Slide Mounted Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KSMAAS 24 - Ten-Amb-P 2 ; recordedBy: N. A. Elgoni; individualCount: 1; sex: Male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: DAB48C65-2FAE-52E8-B35B-DFF40059C487; Taxon: scientificName: Amblypalpus pisoniae ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Arachnida; order: Prostigmata; family: Tenuipalpidae ; genus: Amblypalpus ; Location: country: Saudi Arabia; stateProvince: Jazan; locality: Ayban ; verbatimCoordinates: 17°16.320'N 43°2.629'E; decimalLatitude: 17.272; decimalLongitude: 43.04382; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: Nasreldeen Ahmed Elgoni; dateIdentified: 2024; Event: samplingProtocol: shaking plant foliage; eventDate: 25/2/2024; habitat: Pisonia spp. ; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: Mites; basisOfRecord: Slide Mounted Specimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KSMAAS 24 - Ten-Amb-P 3 ; recordedBy: N. A. Elgoni; individualCount: 1; sex: Male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: E220106C-5802-51DE-8AD2-605116DDF738; Taxon: scientificName: Amblypalpus pisoniae ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Arachnida; order: Prostigmata; family: Tenuipalpidae ; genus: Amblypalpus ; Location: country: Saudi Arabia; stateProvince: Jazan; locality: Ayban ; verbatimCoordinates: 17°16.320'N 43°2.629'E; decimalLatitude: 17.272; decimalLongitude: 43.04382; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: Nasreldeen Ahmed Elgoni; dateIdentified: 2024; Event: samplingProtocol: shaking plant foliage; eventDate: 25/2/2024; habitat: Pisonia spp. ; Record Level: language: en; collectionCode: Mites; basisOfRecord: Slide Mounted Specimen

Description

Description of female (n = 2)

Dorsum (Fig. 1 a and b). Body oval in shape. Length of body from setae v 2 – h 1 157 (159); width from sc 2 – sc 2 85 (86). Propodosoma anteriorly deeply notched 22 (17), with two long medial lobes and without lateral lobes. Median area of propodosoma with irregular lines, lateral area with irregular longitudinal striae; first and second pairs of propodosomal setae v 2 and sc 1 subequal in length and longer than third pair sc 2. Opisthosoma with irregular, transverse, longitudinal striae, opisthosoma with one pair of pore posterior setae d 3. Lengths of setae: v 2 14 (13), sc 1 15 (18), sc 2 8 (11), c 1 15 (8), c 3 8 (7), d 1 7 (5), d 3 9 (11), e 1 11 (10), f 3 9 (10), h 1 7 (8), h 2 9 (8). Distances between setae: v 2 – v 2 28 (24), sc 1 – sc 1 54 (57), c 1 – c 1 27 (26), c 3 – c 3 95 (103), d 1 – d 1 5 (8), d 3 – d 3 82 (88), e 1 – e 1 6 (8), f 3 – f 3 55 (56), h 1 – h 1 14 (12), h 2 – h 2 34 (30). All dorsal setae lanceolate serrate.

Venter (Fig. 2 a-d). Ventral cuticle with transverse striae medially, longitudinal striae laterally; genital and ventral region fused into single plate with transverse striae; lateral area with longitudinal striae; three pairs of intercoxal setae (1 a, 3 a, 4 a), with 1 a long and 4 a longer than 3 a. Coxa I with 3 setae (1 b 1, 1 b 2, 1 c); two pairs of genital setae (g 1–2) present; two pairs of anal setae (ps 2–3) present. Spermatheca (Fig. 2 d ). Spermathecal duct long, narrow and with two bulbs. Lengths of setae: 1 a 44 (41), 1 b 1 14 (15), 1 b 2 33 (30), 1 c 16 (13), 2 b 32 (31), 2 c 14 (13), 3 a 16 (16), 3 b 18 (18), 4 a 33 (34), 4 b 19 (16), ag 13 (14), g 1 10 (11), g 2 11 (12), ps 2 12 (13), ps 3 12 (11). All ventral setae smooth.

Gnathosoma. Ventral setae m 11 (10); distance between setae m - m 10 (13). Palp (Fig. 3 a). Three segments; terminal segment with single eupathidium setae 10 (9), second segment with one dorsal seta.

Legs (Fig. 3 b-e): Legs measured from trochanter to tarsus; leg I 84 (87); leg II 78 (75; leg III 72 (69) and leg IV 85 (78); Number of setae on leg I-IV (from coxa to tarsus, solenidion in parenthesis). Setal formula for legs I-IV: coxae 3–2 – 1 – 1; trochanters 1–1 – 2 – 1; femora 4–4 – 2 – 1; genua 3–3 – 1 – 0; tibiae 4–4 – 3 – 3; tarsi 8 (1) – 8 (1) – 5–5. Tarsal setae are unusually elongate, especially the unguinal setae u′ – u ″, companion setae ft ″ and the proral eupathida p′ζ – pζ ″. Tarsal claws pad-like.

Description of male (n = 2)

Dorsum (Fig. 4 a, b). Propodosoma wider than opisthosoma. Length of body from setae v 2 - h 1 133–139; width from sc 2 - sc 2 75–77. Propodosoma anteriorly deeply notched 11–13, with two long medial lobes and without lateral lobes. Median area of propodosoma with irregular lines, lateral area with irregular longitudinal striae, lateral and sublateral area of propodosoma with irregular longitudinal striae; first and second pairs of propodosomal setae v 2 and sc 1 longer than third pair sc 2. Opisthosoma with two plates; with irregular, longitudinal striae, opisthosoma with one pair of pore posterior setae d 3. Lengths of setae: v 2 18–23, sc 1 25–26, sc 2 13–15, c 1 18–21, c 3 10–11, d 1 5–6, d 3 29–33, e 1 16 –18, f 3 15–16, h 1 6–7, h 2 8–10. Distances between setae: v 2 – v 2 25–26, sc 1 – sc 1 49–50, c 1 – c 1 26–28, c 3 – c 3 80–82, d 1 – d 1 15–16, d 3 – d 3 62–65, e 1 – e 1 5 –6, f 3 – f 3 44–46, h 1 – h 1 5–7, h 2 – h 2 26–28. All dorsal setae lanceolate serrate.

Venter (Fig. 5 a). Ventral cuticle with transverse striae medially, longitudinal striae laterally; genital and ventral plate fused into single plate with transverse striae; lateral area with longitudinal striae; three pairs of intercoxal setae (1 a, 3 a, 4 a), with 1 a and 4 a longer than 3 a; Coxa I with 3 setae (1 b 1, 1 b 2, 1 c); two pairs of genital setae (g 1–2) present; two pairs of anal setae (ps 2–3) present. Lengths of setae: 1 a 41–42, 1 b 1 13–15, 1 b 2 33–34, 1 c 11–14, 2 b 33–40, 2 c 13–16, 3 a 11–13, 3 b 13–15, 4 a 60–63, 4 b 14–15, ag 10 10–11, g 1 9–11, g 2 10–11, ps 2 7–9, ps 3 7–11. Ventral setae smooth. Aedeagus as figured (Fig. 5 b).

Gnathosoma. Ventral setae m 10 (10–12); distance between setae m – m 12–13. Palp (Fig. 6 f). Three segments; terminal segment with single eupathidium setae 7–12, second segment with one dorsal seta.

Legs (Fig. 6 g-j): Legs measured from trochanter to tarsus; leg I 84 (79–84); leg II 69 (69–74); leg III 66 (66–69) and leg IV 77 (77–80). Number of setae on leg I-IV similar to female legs.

Immature stages. Not found

Etymology

The specific epithet ( pisoniae ) is derived from the host plant genus Pisonia from which the type specimen was collected.

Genus diagnosis

Type species: Amblypalpus narsikulovi Mitrofanov & Strunkova, 1978 - Mitrofanov and Strunkova 1978: 1097.

Updated diagnosis after Farzan et al. (2013)

Palps 3 - segmented; palp tarsus with 1–2 terminal phaneres; anterior margin of prodorsum with broad flat projection extending medially and laterally over base of coxa I or projection absent; opisthosoma with 7–9 pairs of setae (c 2, d 2, e 2, f 2, absent; c 1, e 3, f 3 present or absent); dorsal setae fine; leg cuticle not heavily sculptured; genital and ventral shield weakly developed or not at all defined; metapodal shields absent; two pairs of pseudoanal setae (ps 2–3), anal plate poorly defined, setae ps 2 not on tubercle, ps 2–3 inserted longitudinally on anal plates; tibiae I – II with 4 or 5 setae; tarsal claws and empodia pad-like. Spermatheca with at least one subterminal bulb.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Propodosoma with anterior median projection deeply notched, rostral shield present; opisthosma with setae c 1, c 3, d 1, d 3, e 1, f 3, h 1 and h 2 present and setae e 3 and f 2 absent, all dorsal setae fine, serrate, moderately short, with v 2, sc 1, c 1 the longest; dorsal idiosoma with irregular mostly fine striation; genital and ventral region fused with fine transverse striae; genu III with one seta; tibiae I and II with four setae; palp three segmented, distal segment with single eupathidium.

Distribution

Remarks

The new species belongs to Amblypalpus sensu lato. The new species Amblypalpus pisoniae sp. nov. is closely related to A. iraniensis Farzan, Asadi & Ueckerman, 2013 because both have palp with three segments, dorsum striated; genua I and II, femora I and II each with three and four setae, respectively. However, the new species can be distinguished from A. iraniensis by seta e 3 absent (vs. seta e 3 present); anterior medial propodosoma projection deeply notched (vs. anterior medial propodosoma projection reduced); seta c 1 short, not reaching basis of seta d 1 (vs. c 1 crossing far away basis of seta d 1); genito-ventral plate striated (vs. genito-ventral plate smooth); genu III with one seta (vs. genu III without seta) tibiae I and II, each with four setae (vs. tibiae I and II, each with five setae in A. iraniensis ).

Figures

Figure 3. Amblypalpus pisoniae sp. nov., female; a palp; b leg I; c leg II; d leg III; e leg IV.

Figure 5. Amblypalpus pisoniae sp. nov., male. a venter; b aedeagus.

Figure 6. Amblypalpus pisoniae sp. nov., male. f palp; g leg I; h leg II; i leg III; j leg IV.

Figure 2 d. Amblypalpus pisoniae sp. nov., female, spermatheca (Illustration).